Monday, December 10, 2007

This month we're pleased to have with us Lucy Gordon, whose current release is The Millionaire Tycoon's English Rose. Lucy was even kind enough to supply us with a few pictures to go along with her answers!

On to the questions!

Where do you find new and fresh ideas?

This is a real factor in my writing life at the moment, because I’ve decided to explore new territory. I’ll still be setting some of my books in Italy (the one I’m writing now is set in and around Florence) but there are other places in the world, and not all attractive men are Italians. (Don’t tell my Italian husband I said that!)

Earlier this year I went to China and saw some wonderful sights – the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors. I’m still working out a way to use China as a setting.

Writers often use photos of celebrities as “casting”. Do you do this, and who has inspired some of your characters?

I definitely do this. Among American actors I use the younger Charlton Heston a lot. For English actors I use Nathaniel Parker (the Inspector Lynley Mysteries) and Richard Armitage (Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood.)

Nathaniel Parker is the face of hero of the book I’ve just finished, The Italian’s Cinderella Bride, out next April. It’s set in Venice. The hero is a Venetian Count living alone in a deserted palace, trying to cope with his guilt over the death of his wife. The heroine is suffering partial amnesia, and her need of his help is the thing that draws him out of the shadows.

What are your favourite and least favourite parts of writing a novel? Is there a particular section that you struggle with?

The beginning, when there seems to be such a huge task ahead. I often liken it to a plane heading down the runway at the start of a journey. At about 15,000 words I usually achieve take-off, and start to believe that I can actually do this. Then it becomes really enjoyable.

When you are not writing, what do you do? How do you pamper yourself?

I love classical music, especially grand opera. I’ve got a collection of opera on DVD. I go for anything with Placido Domingo in it.

Imagine you’re stranded…where are you and who are you with?

I’m with my husband, who comes from Venice, and we’re floating in a gondola, onward and onward……

Finally, Lucy, please tell us what’s up and coming for you in the months ahead!

As part of exploring new territory, I’ve ventured into Presents, and my first one is coming out next May. This is a big thrill for me. Called ‘The Italian’s Passionate Revenge’ it concerns a man who lures a woman to Rome, seeking to revenge himself on her because he blames her for the death of his cousin. But things don’t go as he planned.

At this moment I’m writing a book that’s also a departure in that it covers darker territory than I usually write about. The hero looks like Charlton Heston. He’s an Italian called Drago, a harsh troubled man whose wife left him for her lover, and the two of them died together in an accident. A year later he chances to meet the other man’s fiancée, and they grow close because they understand each other as nobody else can. It’s a troubled relationship, and their love develops against all the odds.

Thanks for visiting with us Lucy! For more info on Lucy (including her incredibly romantic story of how she met her husband), visit her website at http://www.lucy-gordon.com/.

Friday, December 07, 2007

This post is so much fun for me to put up because whenever a new author debuts it's exciting. Not only for that author but for all of us...from newbies like myself to line "veterans" - we all remember how it felt to see our books on the shelves for the first time.

The newest addition to the Romance authors is Michelle Douglas, whose debut release is His Christmas Angel, out now in the UK, North America and Australia!

Well - as soon as I heard about Michelle I knew I needed to know more about her! And once I caught sight of this GORGEOUS cover, I went out and bought a copy and I e-mailed Michelle to ask her to share a bit about herself with us!

So without further blathering on my part... Introducing....(drum roll please.....)

Michelle grew up in the coalfields of NSW, Australia. She can’t remember a time when she couldn’t read... or a time when she hasn’t had a book or ten on her bedside table (or the dining table, coffee table, any spare occasional tables...)

After high school she spent a year working in a clothing factory (sewing the crotch in men’s knickers!) before embarking on a BA with a major in English Literature. She’s back at university now, fifteen years later, enrolled in a Creative Writing Masters.

Michelle has been writing romance for over ten years. In that time it has developed from a hobby into a passion. Three years ago, with a lot of prodding and encouragement from her husband, Greg, she decided to take a hiatus from paid employment and write full-time. HIS CHRISTMAS ANGEL is her first full-time writing effort. She sent the partial to the London office in July 2005. The full manuscript was eventually rejected, but with suggestions for improvements. She made said improvements and, after a couple of additional requests for revisions, the manuscript was accepted in February 2007 (on the 19th to be precise). Needless to say, the champagne flowed!

She and Greg live in Newcastle, Australia, with their full-to-overflowing, bursting-at-the-seams bookcases, and a Siamese fighting fish called Fernando. You can contact her at michelle@michelle-douglas.com or visit her website at http://www.michelle-douglas.com/.

There's also some other fab news to share....Nicola Marsh's book Wife and Mother Wanted has placed THIRD in the Laurel Wreath Contest, judged by booksellers in the Short Contemporary category. Congrats Nic!

Monday, December 03, 2007

The shopping craziness is underway, but hopefully so are some of the truly wonderful things about Christmas - including the smell of baking cookies, the glow of the lights and the warmth of spending time with family and friends. And that also means....

...it's time to reveal the December releases. There are some truly exciting offerings this month...ranging from authors we've read and loved for years to a brand new author to the Romance line! Pick some up for stocking stuffers or prezzies, but don't forget to treat yourself to one - or all - of this great titles!

Tempting the tycoon out of the city…just in time for Christmas! Sally Rogers's family store is the heart and soul of the small town of Bailey, and she's working all hours to keep her business afloat. So when city slicker Hunter Bedford arrives, determined to buy her out, Sally is furious. No way will she sell to a ruthless businessman like Hunter! Instead, with Christmas approaching, she'll show him the warmth and spirit of Bailey. But as the snow falls thick and fast, they are trapped together and Sally begins to wonder if she's snowbound with Mr. Right…

Independent and strong-willed, Celia Ryland never lets her blindness affect the way she lives her life-she thrives on feeling free! Gorgeous Italian Francesco Rinucci has never met a woman with such a zest for life—he loves everything about Celia. But he finds himself wanting to wrap her in cotton wool to protect his precious English rose from all that's dangerous in the world… And although Celia is falling fast for passionate Francesco, she needs to show him that truly loving someone means letting them be free…

Promoted and pregnant! Life is about choices—but, as Anna Larkin knows, sometimes life makes those choices for you. Knowing she can never have children, Anna has thrown herself into a high-flying career. She's poised for promotion when in walks her new CEO…the man who broke her heart a few weeks ago! As soon as Tanner realized he was going to be Anna's new boss he ended things—for both their sakes. He knows business and romance don't mix—and Anna agrees—But then Anna discovers that a little miracle has happened—and it changes everything!

Olivia and Jack were the perfect couple—it was clear from the start they were meant for each other… Now, five years on, their fairy-tale wedding is a distant memory and their marriage seems to be almost over. But Jack's never stopped loving Olivia, and has planned for them to spend the summer on the beautiful Greek island where they first met. It's the perfect place to fall in love…the pretty villages, the gently lapping waves on miles of endless golden sand. But is it enough to help Jack and Olivia overcome their past and reunite…forever?

This would be the most amazing and romantic race of their lives! After being dumped so publicly, Millie Kincaid never wanted to see Jace Westfall or be on reality TV ever again. But she finds herself on Cash Around the Globe—with Jace! Although she doesn't trust him, to win they must work as a team. They race around the world, tested to their limits, and everything is captured on camera—including their stolen kisses! Can they determine what is real and what is just for TV? And, with the finish line in sight, will they win the one thing that money cannot buy?

Once Sol Adams and Cassie Campbell had been inseparable, drawn to each other when times were tough. Cassie has spent the last ten years trying to move on from her life back then, but now Sol is home for Christmas, more gorgeous than ever, and she can't avoid him—or her memories… Sol can see Cassie's changed—she's now a widow, a woman who tirelessly cares for others. But he knows her too well—he can see the hurt and yearning behind her cheerful smile. Can he get to the bottom of her troubled heart and make this Christmas angel his much-loved wife?